Art or method of knitting stockings



(No Model.)

P. E. BUSIEL.

ART OE METHOD OF KNITTING STOCKINGS.

2 SheetsSheet 1.

Patented July 14, 1896.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

{No Model.)

F. E. BUSIEL. ART OR METHOD OF KNITTING STOCKINGS. No. 563,739. Patented July 14, 1896.

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UNIT D STATES PATENT OEETcE.

FRANZ: E. BUSIEL, OF LACONIA, NEXV HAMPSHIRE.

ART OR METHOD OF KNITTING STOCKINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 563,739, dated July 14, 1896.

Application filed February 5, 1892. Serial No. 420,415. 7 (14' o specimens) To (allwhom, it may concern:

Beit known that I, FRANK E. BUSIEL, a citizen of the United States, residing in Laconia, in the county of Belknap and State of New Hampshire, have invented an. Improved Art or Method of Knitting Stockings; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a side view of a portion of a flat-knit web formed with bulges for the stocking toes and heels, from which web the feet of the stockings are formed according to my invention, the view representing the web doubled longitudinally, with the twoselvage edges of the web laid side by side Fig. 2, a side View of a section of the web suiiicient for the foot of one stocking, the portions which respectively constitute the top and bottom of the stocking-foot being doubled toward each other nearly in position to seam together; Fig. 3, a side View of a completed stocking-foot formed from such a web-section according to my invention; and Fig. 4 a side View of a stocking completed by knitting a circular stockingleg, begun at the heel or open end of such a stocking-foot, as shown in Fig. 3, and ended at the upper end of the said stocking-leg, according to my invention.

My improved art or method of knitting stockings is as follows: First, a flat web A, Fig. l, is knit continuously, with alternate bulges a b a Z), respectively, for the toes and heels of stockings in succession upon a flatknitting machine of the kind known as footing-machines. The continuous knitting of this web results in economy, convenience, and rapidity by obviating the necessity of starting and completing a separate web for each stocking-foot, which would consume additional time and involve unnecessary trouble. The toe and heel bulges a b are knit in the usual way of forming the heels and toes on a flat-footing machine, by narrowing the web while retaining the loops of the edges of the web on the needles and widening again; and the web is preferably knit in such direction that the bottom portion 0 of each stockingfoot shall be knit from-the toe toward the heel for the purpose of making gussets cl d next to the heel by widening the web, which can be more rapidly done than by narrowing the web, which requires the use of transfer ring-points to take the loops from the needles thrown out of action. The heel-bulge being thus knit with a larger number of stitches, as many stitches are dropped at once on each edge of the web, before beginning to knit the top web f of the next stocking-foot, as are added in the said gussets, as shown at c 6, so that the bottom, top, and toe parts of the stocking-foot are knit with an equal number of stitches.

The particular method shown in the drawings of forming the gussets (Z (Z is as follows: The flat sections of of the foot are knit in straight courses with a given normal num ber of needles. \Vhen the point is reached at which the gussets cl dare to commence, the fiat web is widened by bringing into action needles at opposite ends of the gang of needles until the gussets are brought to their full widths. As shown in the drawings, four additional needles are thus thrown into action at each side of the gang of needles. When the web has thus been widened to its maximum extent, the formation of the heelpouch or seamless heel Z) is proceeded with. This heel-pouch is knit, in the manner usual with footing-machines, by narrowing without dropping any of the stitches on the needles which are thrown out of action, and then subsequently widening to the maximum width. The knitting of a flat web in straight courses then continues with the maximum number of needles for several courses until the gussets are completed, when the additional or extra needles, brought into action during the formation of the gussets and the heel, are thrown out of action simultaneously at the point e, thereby reducing the number of needles in action to the normal number required to knit the flat sections of.

The continuous-foot web having been continuously knit, as above set forth, with a plurality of feet-sections knit serially together, it is divided into sections, from which to form the separate stocking-feet, by cutting the web across on lines indicated at 0c in Fig. 1, each separate section being, when doubled over, in form as shown in Fig. 2. Then the stocking-feet are completed by seaming to gether the adjacent selvage edges 9 h of the bottom and top portions on each side, as shown in Fig. 3. This makes a completed foot. Then the heel end of each stockingfoot is picked or run upon a circular-knitting machine (preferably a spring needle machine) having substantially as many needles as there are loops on the open end of the stocking-foot, and the stocking-leg B is knit from the foot to the top by the machine.

It may be remarked that it is not essential in this method of knitting to seam together the selvage edges g h of the foot-Web before knitting the stocking-leg thereon. This seaming may be done last; and it is to be understood that this variation from the order of the method described would not change the same essentially, and is intended by me to be included as part of my invention. I The order of method above described is best, however, being more convenient and expeditious.

The method of knitting stockings above set forth is simple, rapid, and cheap, and the stockings made have full-fashioned feet and no seams joining them With the legs, all the seams in the stockings being the selvageseams on the sides of the feet.

I claim as my invention- 1. The art or method of knitting stockings which consists in knitting a continuous flat Web containing a plurality or string of feetsections, the order of knitting each section being to first knit the top of the foot, second a toebulge, third the bottom of the stocking, fourth to Widen the web to form fashioning gussets at the heel, fifth to knit a heel-bulge, and finally dropping the Widening stitches at once preparatory to the continuous knitting of the next footsection, then after the Web of feet-sections is thus knit dividing said Web into individual foot-sections, completing each foot by seaming or otherwise uniting the top and bottom portions along their selvage edges, then transferring the loops around the upper end of the completed foot to a circular-knitting machine and knitting the legs from the foot to the top thereof, substantially as set forth.

2. The art or method of knitting stockings which consists in knitting a continuous flat web containing a plurality or string of feetsections, said Web being knit with alternating top and bottom portions connected by toe and heel'bulges, then dividing said Web into separate feet-sections, then transferring the foot at the cutoff ends'of the top and bottom portions (which constitute the entire upper end of the foot) to a circular-knitting machine and completing the knitting of the stocking by knitting the leg from the foot to the upper end of the leg, and seaming or otherwise uniting the selvage edges of the top and bottom portions of the foot, substantially as set forth.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presenceof two subscribing Witnesses.

' FRANK E. BUSIEL.

\Vitnesses:

EDGAR F. REEVES, .ToHN XV. ASHMAN. 

